Income Tax Dates to Civil War

As taxpayers face tomorrow's income tax filing deadline, WKU Historian Dr. Jack Thacker says income taxes were first established in the United States during the Civil War. He says the federal government used income taxes as a way to help pay for the war effort.

In addition, the Civil War was pivotal in getting value added taxes and inheritance taxes started in the United States. Dr. Thacker and Dr. Glenn LaFantasie of the WKU Institute for Civil War Studies provide more background on the history of taxation.